Pagina's

Christmas is upon us, which means that we at KV will be away and posting will be light. Even more so, as the KV household has been extended two night ago with an heir apparent to KV manor (which, incidentally, is also my excuse for the radio-silence these past few days). Time away from the blogs, therefore, and a time to focus the mind on the positive aspects of life: Family, friends and faith. Mostly family this year, as one should given the circumstances.

This year we'll leave you with a piece that is one of the all-time favourites of yours truly : Jesus' blood never failed me. It is not a Christmas song per sé, but for some reason it captures some aspects of the season in a combination I've never heard in other songs.

For starters it is minimal music at its very best. Every repetition in the song adds another beautiful layer, a little more atmosphere. Then there is the contrast between the singing of that homeless man, known only to Our Father, and the singing of a successful, but hard-living singer like Tom Waits. It adds a 'there but for the grace of God' feel to the music. Towards the end only Mr. Waits remains, while (to my mind) the voice of the homeless guy disappears into eternity, peace at last.

The association with Christmas is of course due also to the fact that this piece was a minor hit during the season of '93. This single got to number 8 in the Dutch pop charts of that year.

And thus, a peculiar combination of circumstances, subject matter and musical mastery have created a Christmas jewel that is alas not nearly as known as it deserves to be. Here's hoping this will post will help, even if just a little.

And so, as we at KV manor are coming to terms with an all new rhythm of life, we bid you all very good holidays, and hope you will spend them with the food, drink, activities and company you enjoy best. On behalf of Ferdy and the KV family: A Very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year.